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Review:

toomanycurls says:Hello!! I'm here from the review tag thread. I saw you had something new and wanted to read it! :D

This story is quite a wonderfully written nightmare for Peter. I love how the story loops at the end giving this sense of eternal terror and torture. It fits extremely well with the maze idea.

Peter's disorientation is wonderfully written. I like that he's just as confused about his circumstance as the reader is. Snape duplicity as he puts Peter on the defense about his memory lapse while hoping to wheedle back into his memory is remarkable. I'm glad I read this and then re-read to review - the second reading is making all of your brilliant development pop out as so much more wicked and delightful.

I quite like the way you've explored death eater life. Peter thinking that the less he can share the better off he is stood out to me. Peter's comment about Snape still being recognizable as the same man where he was not struck me as extremely sad - moreover that he thinks of James and Lily as wanting to be able to recognize him after the betrayal. I do feel bad for Peter (a little).

If I were Snape, berating someone for their clear ineptitude at escaping and demanding an explanation, all while knowing that I had been the one to make them look like they were in such a state - well, I'm not sure I'd be able to pull it off. You've really dug into Snape's nastier side here and I love it.

I did start to suspect Snape when Peter's mind was completely blank for the attack. Only that it was a thought in the back of my mind. I quite liked that Peter was able to make Snape give pause to his idea of informing Voldemort - that he had the cunning to cause at least a flicker of apprehension.

Your description of legilimency is incredibly vivid. Enough that I now know for sure I'd never want to experience it.

Ooh, I like the insinuation that Peter knows where Snape's truly loyal. I LOVED the line about better men not having seen what Peter has seen - it's so well crafted and poetic.

Reliving his betrayal of James and Lily is quite intense to read. His own hope that maybe he wouldn't do it is just gut-wrenching.

It's a bit masochistic of Snape to relive that memory through Peter's mind but I completely understand his desire to punish Peter for it. Rage Snape is much scarier than calm and oily Snape.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the end of this story is just perfect. Now I'm here with my brain full of thoughts on Snape and Pettigrew wondering how long he kept (poor) Peter in that cycle of terror. This was artfully done!

-Rose

Author's Response: Hi, there! Long time, no see!

I'm glad you enjoyed Peter's horrible waking nightmare. Personally, I really don't like the character. I always struggle with stories that try to redeem him or rationalize his actions in some way. His best friend trusted him with the lives of his wife and infant son and Peter turned them over to a madman who made no secret of his intent to kill them all. There's just no forgiving that. So I have to admit that it was fun to toy with Peter in this story. He deserved no less.

Peter might have been a traitor and a coward, but he was also a survivor. Just as he sought out a niche among the Marauders, I have to assume that he found ways to navigate the treacherous ranks of the Death Eaters. I also think that he probably felt a form of remorse, albeit one soaked in self-pity.

I'm quite sure that Snape had a very nasty side to his personality. It was always alluded to when the other characters remembered him from school. So when presented with an opportunity to take vengeance on Wormtail, I imagine he would have indulged that side of his personality extensively. In a sense, this is one of the oldest plot bunnies I have. When I was reading The Prince's Tale, it suddenly dawned on me that Wormtail spent part or all of the summer between OotP and HBP at Snape's house on Spinner's End. I remember thinking, "Snape must have wanted to tear him limb from limb." This is my take on what might have happened.

I "borrowed" a good chunk of my idea about the feel of Legilimency from GingeredTea's amazing story "Devlin Potter". I really loved the idea of Snape's presence sort of seeping into Wormtail's thoughts and memories from all directions, like fog blowing in.

Peter /thinks/ he knows Snape's true loyalties. Then again, so do a lot of people.

I really liked taking both characters through Peter's memories of betraying James and Lily because I couldn't think of a better way to set the stage for Snape's fury. He really dos come a bit unhinged, which was also fun to write. Snape is all about rigid mental control in the books, so taking the wraps off and letting him just react without thinking was rewarding in a way. Of course, he wouldn't be Snape if he didn't make sure to cover his tracks afterward, hence wiping Wormtail's memory and going back to double-check his work.

I'm really pleased that you enjoyed this! Thanks for reading and reviewing!